"The Mashiach must be coming"

On January 1, people often talk about being "new in the new year."

We talk about resolutions and goals, but most of them we rarely think about past February.

I don't celebrate New Year's, but I always appreciate the reminder that we can be changed if we choose to let ourselves.

Every day has the potential for real change- one could say, "people don't change" or "things don't change," but then, one day you do.

Lots of things have happened to me this year.

I made a lot of BIG choices.

Things that were in and out of my control.

But the biggest surprise of all was a choice my family made to bring someone new into our household.

See, when Scott and I got together, my family had a sweet miniature poodle, named Baci. Scott told me the dog might be a dealbreaker in our relationship. He was not a fan. I laughed at him.

And then shortly after we were wed, I randomly developed a serious allergy to all dogs (and cats), and it made it difficult to even be around my own dog (who lived at my parents' house).

Baci was my buddy, slept in my bed, and we were very bonded.

Honestly, it was devastating for me.

And for the rest of his life, we were separated.

In the last few years, my allergies have improved across the board (BH! Bli ayin hara!) and I decided this year, I didn't want to live from fear anymore.

I wanted my kids to have a dog like I did growing up.

And so I challenged the allergy, and found I was no longer allergic to hypoallergenic dogs, like the poodle I had growing up.

Scott "didn't get the dog thing," but after many conversations was willing to open our home and try something new.

And let me tell you.

Our little toy poodle Leo, is the best surprise of the year.

We got him a few weeks before the Iranian war, and while we were training him, we were carrying him back and forth to the shelters when the sirens went off. We all took turns holding him and making him calm, and in return, he did the same for us.

Now we have this fluffy, affectionate, love bomb that lives in our house.

If you had asked me years ago if we could ever get a dog, I would have laughed at you. Scott would have laughed harder.

But now he makes Leo scrambled eggs every day and wants a matching puffer vest.

I think Leo is the one laughing now.

As my family says, "the Mashiach must be coming."

Tomany more happy changes in 2026.